


Water Arc

by ToraRyusei



Series: Five Elements [3]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 19:31:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToraRyusei/pseuds/ToraRyusei
Series: Five Elements [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1421206





	1. Heir Apparent

Within the wooden meeting room in a rustic little Japanese town, two people were having a meeting. A man wearing small round glasses tinted black that sat on the bridge of his nose and with a cigarette drooping apathetically between his lips. Disheveled chestnut hair and rings beneath his pitch black eyes completed the picture of a man not too concerned with his appearance.

At the end of the table was a girl, no older than eighteen. Bright, oceanic blue eyes, auburn hair, and a gentle expression. She was dressed far more neatly, a dark blue blazer and cardigan underneath with a fashionable, light scarf around her neck. In her hand was a white marble chess piece, the Queen. She spun it around her fingers, her thumb rubbed the velvet bottom of the piece.

“This is nice, I think I’m going to keep it.” She spoke in a clear, dignified voice.

She was the successor to the Youkai Hunter's current leader. A girl of far higher status than him, and yet several years his junior. The hunters had never cared for age as the decider of one’s hierarchy, younger members would be given their due if they proved more willing to give—and sacrifice. It helped that only those of her blood could wield the Hunter’s true power, for she was a direct descendant of the original, the founder of the Youkai Hunters.

She set the chess piece down to its rightful position, commanding the army of pawns, rooks, and knights that shone with a gleam that only porcelain could. Despite her leisurely observance of the brilliant pieces, there hung a chilly air in the room. The man in front of her, despite his exterior which might suggest he simply didn’t care, felt her presence loud and clear, and it made every second stretch out to what seemed like minutes. It was like she was testing how long he could last before his nerves were frayed by the anxiety he felt.

Finally, she turned celestial blue eyes up to him and smiled. A pleasant little smile, the sort meant to brace a person for the cruel words that followed.

“So, the last piece of the mirror?”

“Yes…about that…”

“It shouldn’t be hard to extract it, even if it is lodged in his head.” She replied nonchalantly, putting further pressure on his inability to secure that crucial final shard.

“He went to the trouble of gathering all the shards for us, the least I can do is find a way to take the shard without killing him.” The man defended himself.

“True, if word got around that Takii Migakaze passed away while in our care, it might turn some other Beast families against us. He’s made a great deal of allies too, not just youkai.” The girl’s peaceful gaze turned to the window.

Outside was a quaint little village with a dirt path. A holy land only a few knew of, residing in an island that didn’t exist in any maps you might find. A place not even visible by satellite, it was the hub of the Youkai Hunters. Their headquarters, so to speak. It lacked any grandiose nature that the name would imply, however, as the land had been preserved exactly as it had existed a thousand years ago, forever locked in that time. Any changes made to the land or structure of the houses on the island would immediately be undone, and it was spring all year round on this island.

“Just one more shard and the ritual will start. Just a bit more, and the world will be changed for the better.” She mumbled. Her goals would be realized, the ambition which burned within her, coupled with the right to wield the Hunter’s greatest Tools would make her unstoppable once she assembled the mirror.

Unstoppable, yes. But there were some who wished the world not to change, those who lived in the comfort built upon years of hard work and now saw her, the future leader of the Youkai Hunters, as a menace to their very organization. One such man was sitting across from her, though he dared not let any of these thoughts pass his lips. For even when he knew many Hunters who agreed with him, none were courageous enough to directly stand against her and her followers.

_Looks like you’ll be doing me one more favor, Takii-kun_.

The thought came with a note of cynicism. The male Hunter had already been acquainted with the Tiger from a previous encounter, where he’d rather openly manipulated Takii to achieve his goals. The Tiger’s ambition and blindness to the messy reality were like hers. Why he had healed him, why he hadn’t so much as tried to pry the Yata no Kagami shard from his eye, and why he kept him now in waiting were for this final gambit. A pawn he could use to stop the ambitious heir’s plans. He was the perfect kind of fool to go and fight for his so-called “Justice”.

_Even if it might make you the enemy of humanity, even if those eyes of yours have lost their light, you wouldn’t let those creatures you love called youkai be exterminated. Would you, Takii-kun?_


	2. Beast Laments the World

Fear so deep that it shakes your body to the core.

Darkness greater than I’ve ever known it to be. The kind of thing that makes your sight go wild and makes you wonder if you can even see to begin with. A type of sensory deprivation, one might say. If I channeled aura to my eyes, maybe I could make out where I was, but I was certain that knowing the dimensions of the room wouldn’t help bring me peace.

I hadn’t even tried looking for an exit. Just as much as I wanted to leave, staying here in solitude was better than killing again. Now with this cursed eye, a single glance could sever someone’s life short in an instant. The extent of the Evil Eye’s power, the effects, all of it too dangerous. It wasn’t fit for someone who had lost all confidence in their abilities.

Failure. The word which echoed in my head after every mistake I’ve made. Every scar etched into my body was just another entry to the record of failures I’d committed. The image of a princely savior I had so strived to become in my youth was unrecognizable from what I had truly ended up as. A mere pretender, scraping by in a desperate attempt to reach his ideals. I suffered for those ideals, and all I got was sadness, disappointment, and for what? In the end, I couldn’t keep the greatest of my promises.

What noble goals I fell short of. What pitiable circumstances I had ended up in. The truth was none of it was worth anything if I couldn’t get results if I failed to find a way. The hero isn’t allowed to fail, not when he carries the weight of the world. Is that just an ideal? Is there really someone so flawless out there who could continue to fight no matter what fate dealt them? If so, why wasn’t it me?

“You have been denying yourself this entire time. The beast within you starved, and that man’s death is the result of your inability.” The voice which corrected me was none other but my own, yet I couldn’t remember speaking those words aloud.

How many more would have died if I never held back my strength?

“You can’t be certain. The one thing you can be sure of is you wouldn’t be hurting like you are now.”

I’d feel pained all the same.

“Fool. Beasts don’t have empathy. Those delusions have warped your brain, now you can’t even tell which part is the real you.”

My words had silenced my thoughts. Had I gone mad in this room? I wasn’t even sure of how long I’ve been in here.

“Keep lying to yourself and the bodies will start to pile up.”

To surrender the animal side of me, was it to face reality?

Maybe Shinsuke was right. Death wasn’t anything to be afraid of. In some cases a blessing and in others a just punishment.

And I would decide who lives and dies. A king, like Balor had regarded me as.

It was then my mad soliloquy was interrupted by a light from a corner of the room. A door had been opened, from it had emerged a man.

Rather, a projection of a man. An incandescent glow about him proved he was no more than a vision without mass.

“So, you’re the one I have to thank for healing my wounds.” That man was one I’d have thought to never see again. The Youkai Hunter who had first come to me with information about the Yata no Kagami.

“They practically stitched themselves up. All I did was drag you out of the burning library.”

“I’m guessing you’re aware of what I can do now, seeing as you didn’t come here in person.”

“Right, as much as I’d love to meet face to face, that eye of yours has us all weary.”

“There wasn’t much of a reason to open the door then, was it?”

“On the contrary, I’m showing you a way out. It’s already been two days since you’ve been locked up, so I was worried you couldn’t find the door. You’ve been free to walk out of here since the beginning, you know.”

Takii scoffed. “Then why go to the trouble of bringing me here at all?”

“To make it look like I’ve been doing my job. You see, the mirror shard’s been lodged in that eye of yours. It’s the final shard that we need to complete our ritual. The ritual to exterminate Youkai once and for all.”

“Wh…at…?” My voice conveyed my shock, as well as fair amounts of anger rumbling beneath. I could feel my animal side take dominance.

The expression on my face just then must have been enough to startle even the affable Hunter. Perhaps he was afraid of the Evil Eye’s effects going beyond the projection.

“Hold on now, I’m not crazy about the idea either. The problem is our future leader is a bit of a visionary, she’s thinking of ending this whole struggle between humans and youkai once and for all. The problem is without youkai to fight, the hunters would cease to be. It’d be utter chaos.”

Sympathy was the last thing I had for his plight.

“You’re all vermin to me. I couldn’t care less if your organization dissolved.”

“But you _do_ care if all youkai ceased to be. I remember there’s a certain snow woman that you’re close with…even though she’s only a halfling, there’s no doubt she’d be erased too. Or maybe she’d end up half-dead.” He said with a shrug.

Anger boiled up in me once again. My vision momentarily flashed red, and I found myself once again aligning with this man. His plan was obvious enough, use me as a scapegoat to stop the plans of the heir apparent so they all can overthrow her while keeping their positions as Hunters. The status quo remains and I end up the villain in their story.

Having him admit it all wouldn’t make any difference. He knows that I have to act, no matter what. That’s right…both the human and animal sides of me can agree on one thing: I’ll refuse to sit still. I’ll always be fighting.

“You’ll have your wish: I’ll take down that upstart for you. Just know that once this is over, I’ll be abolishing your organization myself.” This new eye of mine certainly was convenient. For the first time, I could see this man on edge.

“There will be opposition, you know. While those who agree with me will steer clear of you, those loyal to her will do whatever it takes to take that eye.”

“I won’t be easy to catch.” I still hadn’t found my answer, yet I began to set off. The hunter pointed me to where I would find the heir, a small island north of Japan that served as the Youkai Hunter’s headquarters.

Would this eye serve me? Would I be able to control my impulses and avoid taking another life? Whether they were false reassurances I had tricked myself into believing or not, the fact I kept holding back the eye’s power meant deep down I hadn’t lost hope.

Not a single soul was encountered as I made my way out of the room and out of the underground safe house, into empty streets on the outskirts of town.

There wasn’t any time to hesitate, all I can do is keep moving. The Hunters wouldn’t stop once they knew I was free, and it was a long way to the northern tip of Japan where my goal laid.

The Hunt begins.


	3. Embers for Kindling

Kindling that billowed smoke up into the starry night. Flames illuminated the trees surrounding the clearing situated far up the mountains. If you climbed up to one of their branches you could see the town below, the fluorescent lights a beauteous sign of progress and innovation. This was a time where things were just starting to pick back up for this island nation.

Here was a boy of black hair and sharp dark eyebrows. He had just reached twelve, yet the deep pitch-black eyes he carried were those of a man. He stared at the flame quietly, as the woman in front of him controlled the nascent flame with an iron rod.

This was the boy’s grandmother, Anri, former head of the Migakaze clan. Her prime had been quite some time ago, but she was still far spryer than any human her age. She had suffered many hardships in her life, the death of her husband, the death of her son and daughter-in-law, and now she’d been left the only one to take care of the young Osamu. The boy had barely known his parents before they died, but it was still enough to affect him in ways he was still too young to fully grasp.

His grandmother felt pity for the boy. Still a lifetime ahead of him, and yet already so much sorrow in his life. She couldn’t coddle him, however, she wasn’t the type. More importantly, it was now his duty to carry on the legacy of the Migakaze. To shield him from that duty would only make things more difficult for him, as it was a destiny that he could not escape no matter how hard he tried. She knew that well.

“We’ll begin at sunrise. Be ready.” She said. No more was needed to communicate with the boy. The following morning began his training.

Silence dominated his world, as Osamu was never one to speak more than necessary. Even before his parent’s death he had been that way, though their passing had made him all more succinct in his verbalizing his thoughts. Those days training in the mountains he had needed no more than the most basic instructions from his grandmother, who sparred with him and guided him throughout a rigorous training regimen which no ordinary human could ever hope to withstand. It was to awaken the potential that all Migakaze carried and to boost him beyond even those limits.

“The Tiger clan has always known suffering. We were blessed with these bodies that can go farther than any human, therefore we must use this gift to the fullest.” Osamu understood well his grandmother’s words, and he carried on silently with his training. Developing at a greater pace than his training had anticipated him to, he was a prodigy of a fighter.

It was this strength that carried him through adolescence. Though many mistook him for a cold and callous man, the power and reach of his “aura”, his lifeforce manifest, could touch those of other people. He could feel their pain with each blow he landed, and how they reached death with every wound he inflicted. A warrior cursed with empathy for his opponents, man and beast inhabiting the same body. To balance both aspects of their self was the challenge every head of the Migakaze faced, for they alone were made to experience combat. They were the ones tasked with protecting humanity, and with defeating their rival clan, the Ryuzaki.

Osamu grew, and with an odd magnetism he began to attract others to him. Lovers who would become wives, touched by his strength that he channeled so carefully as to be mindful of every living thing. They were partners from all walks of life, who he could raise children with and further expand the Migakaze lineage. However, things were not so easy.

Life and death, even as he became father to many children, he would lose loved ones along the way. The pain he felt was buried deep inside, never allowing it to show, as he silently carried on with his duties until the day came when he would take the future heir of the Tiger clan up into those familiar mountains to train, just like his grandmother had done with him.

He spent much time away from his children, an absent father with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Though that wouldn’t be an excuse for his son. Takii would always resent his father, his quiet demeanor, his seeming abandonment of his family. It was part of what defined the boy, his striving to become better than his father. To become a better parent, a better heir. How he wished he could reach his son, tell him how not once he had forgotten his children, that he had never stopped fighting for their sake. It would not be enough. But perhaps someday his son might see, understand the hardships his father went through. When that day comes, he could only hope to be there with him.


	4. Tiger Hunt

Dates changed, the Sun rose and fell with each passing day. To Takii’s eyes, it would seem as if each day was indistinguishable from one another. For however many days it had been, Takii had known nothing but combat.

Youkai Hunters would attack him during the day when there wasn’t anyone else around and at night, they’d pursue him relentlessly. How many of those masked agents had he taken down? Was each one a new member of the organization, or had he been fighting the same group of people coming back for more? With the spells weaved into those fox masks they wore; their identities were a mystery. He could be aware of every little detail about them, down to the clothing they wore. Once they dispersed, however, he’d find that his memory of the appearance of his assailants was fuzzy save for their masks.

It had a psychological toll on him. It had begun to feel like an army of endless automatons out to get him. At the very least he could count that he had made progress, however small.

But he’d end up captured if he stubbornly decided to continue on foot. It was a choice he had disregarded for long enough, but if he was to reach that island to the north he would have to rely on some other form of transportation.

Driving had already proven difficult, as they could pursue him with however many vehicles they pleased. It was even more disadvantageous on this leg of the journey where rural paths were the only roads he’d be on until reaching the coast. A plane would be faster, but the risk of it crashing would be high.

Then what better choice to make for travelling to a remote part of Japan than train?

A pleasant, clear day. It was a day where the winds carried the sea breeze to reach this town, one three hours away from the northern coast of Japan by train.

Takii stood at the platform a disheveled mess. Blood had dried over the left side of his head, tinting his blonde locks a dark crimson. His clothes loose or torn in various places. He had been run ragged both physically and mentally, having taken the role of a vagrant these past couple of weeks. Sleep came to him in sparse moments when the hunters had exhausted their manpower, or he if he had managed to escape the eyes of their members by hiding in the meager safe areas where they lacked surveillance.

The result was a man looking as if he’d been marked for death, ready to keel over at any time. Adrenaline was what kept him going, and if it wasn’t for harsh training that he had endured coupled with the battles he’d fought these past couple of years he would most certainly have died of exhaustion by now.

A fellow passenger walked up beside him, also waiting for the train to arrive. A man in a business suit and carrying a suitcase. Rather professional for this era, when messenger bags were more commonplace. Young, sharp-eyes, slicked back hair. He didn’t even look at Takii as he spoke.

“You insist on getting in our way?” There was no one else here but them. It must have been for Takii.

The Tiger didn’t reply. 

“You’re the only one who would think to stop us.” A feminine voice came from behind him.

“That means we can focus on eliminating you.” A third voice of a girl in a school blazer and holding a book bag, who had suddenly appeared to his other side.

“Don’t you see you’re up against humanity itself? The people you’re supposed to be protecting?” Then another voice from behind. He could sense their presence, along with that of others who joined him.

They formed around him, the center of this large train platform. More and more filed in, their auras were all distinct, all showing them to be at different stages of their lives, yet all with a common trait.

Their honed killing intent were all focused on Takii Migakaze.

“You would prefer to side with the youkai?”

“With _Monsters_?”

“Should we call you a traitor?”

The words shouldn’t have cut into him as deep as they should. Again those doubts rose: of his nature, of who exactly he had been born to fight for.

The rumbling wheels that carried the heavy iron coffins that comprised the train came along the tracks. A dark green that contrasted with the picturesque landscape from which it travelled through.

Wheels slowed down gradually until they stopped with a puff of steam. The windows along the train mirrored the face of the golden-eyed Tiger.

As well as the bone-white fox masks like a collective that now surrounded him.

The doors slid open and released a cool air onto the train platform. Takii was the first to go inside. He stood in the center of the train car. The rest of the passengers followed suit, taking their seats, grabbing the rails, making themselves comfortable. For rush hour traffic, there was still plenty of room to move around. They had made sure to not saturate the train to avoid crossfire.

The train started moving, slowly at first, humming quietly as it built up speed as the town gradually became a blur being left behind.

The Tiger took a breath, steeling his nerves. His eyes closed to better help him focus. He could feel every aching limb, every muscle tensed and pushed to limits surpassing that any ordinary human could muster. This was the final stretch of the mainland he needed to cross. He wasn’t about to come up short.

“You think that you’ve locked me in here...” Takii began.

His eyes opened, revealing that characteristic light shining from them, his left iris deviating in color from his right, the warning sign that his Evil Eye was active.

“But you’re the ones caged here with _me._”

They attacked. Each one had their roles to play in this confined space, the fighters closed in on him from all sides while the casters readied the talismans hidden in their bags, purses, and suitcases. Takii weaved through the punches as his senses flared up. He could feel the murderous energy oozing from every one of them, not a shred of doubt in those ordinary seeming people now revealed to be skilled hunters.

He matched the Hunter’s fists and feet with his own quick reflexes, allowing him a chance for a counterattack. Just as he reeled back his fist, however, it was caught and thrown towards one of the train doors with the rest of him following. Paper talismans had neatly covered his arm and secured it against one of the door’s windows like a cocoon, robbing his arm of all its strength with its spiritual binding.

A Hunter came at Takii with brass knuckles, throwing sharp hooks at his head. He ducked and bobbed each winding swing until the man changed tactics and went for a straight that passed by his head and cracked apart the window behind him. The glass shattered, freeing his arm of the talismans as they were sent into a flurry by the loss of the window’s support and the violent gust of air blowing through the train.

The train descended into chaos as the talismans made it difficult to see, let alone cast any sort of ward against Takii. He took advantage of the situation, dispatching the ones sent to fight him hand-to-hand with hard, single blows like a bull’s charge to knock them out of commission in a single blow.

The heroic youth, always fighting with precise blows only his finely trained body could deliver in order to minimize the harm done to his opponent, was overtaken by his shadow. A beast which lurked in the darkness of his heart, rampaging through the scores of hunters tasked with overcoming his monstrous strength that made quick work of them as they became but mere obstacles on his violent path to the front train car.

Bloody vengeance for all the hardships endured, an unquenchable thirst for more which drove a body that should have been relinquished of all its stamina. Even then, he was not going for the kill. He couldn’t, even when letting loose to this level. Were it so easy to undo years of training…

As he blew open the door that connected the train cars he could see the one up ahead get increasingly farther away. There was just one Hunter remaining, distinct from the rest. A grey zip up hoodie covering her head and a gasmask serving in lieu of the regular kitsune type. She carried an iron pipe in one hand, and despite the fact she was wearing a school uniform, her physique showed she was no mere student. She was tall and muscular, a human warrior capable of standing against monsters such as himself.

“This is as far as you go, Migakaze.” Her voice was clear even through the gasmask.

Takii looked down to find the steel connecting the two train tracks, freshly severed. The gap became increasingly wider.

_That won’t be enough to stop me._

He didn’t even need to ready himself for a running leap, just by kicking off the ground he could reach the other train. That was the idea, at least. He was shot out of mid-air by two hard objects which struck him in the side, a one-two blow to stop his momentum and send him plummeting down to the train tracks.

Takii skipped like a stone along the ground, not having seen what had killed his progress dead in its tracks. The Hunter watched him go, content to have at least left the Tiger stranded. They were right to think he couldn’t catch up to a speeding train. Even the superhuman speed of the Tiger had its limits.

And that’s why he had _that_ in his arsenal.

His hands, aching and bloodied, rose up and joined together as if offering a prayer. This was the physical action which helped him activate that imperfect technique, one made to bring about limitless power at the cost of his shaving time off his lifespan.

“Shunkan Nirvana.”

An explosive wind of golden dust rose from him, his aura manifested on his right side and transformed that half to resemble a tiger. An ugly form that showed just how lacking it was in mastery from a mere glance, but it would get the job done.

His right leg, now that of a tiger’s, kicked off with explosive force which propelled him forward at speeds he could only hope to reach in his normal state. His heart felt tight, like the bony hand of death had its grip on the beating muscle. The pain kept him aware this power was a temporary, dangerous high.

He charged forward with godspeed. A frantic dash which slowly got him closer to the train car. The Hunter would not make it so easy, as whole rows of seats ripped from the train were tossed at the Tiger. He leapt and used the would-be obstacles as stepping stones, kicking off of them in rapid succession until he was flying over the train, over her. Fist clenched, he let out a roar as his fist connected with the Hunter’s face, the Tiger barreling down onto the train as both he and the Hunter tumbled through the interior.

The Tiger with his mismatched eyes stared down the large red goggles of the gasmask as they both stumbled to their feet, a distance had been created between the pair. Plumes of smoke filled the train, the Hunter’s specialty no doubt. It soon overtook his vision and left him only to guess as to where that vague shadow amidst the asphyxiating grey smoke might appear.

He raised his arm just in time to block the heavy lead pipe that had been aimed at his head. It was harder than most, not even a dent in the street weapon despite the tremendous strength she had used to swing it, one which he felt give him a throbbing pain in his forearm.

His eyes glowed a bright gold as he brought out his aura to search for her presence. His vision being overtaken by smoke wouldn’t be much of a hinderance, but even as he cautiously managed his breathing, he could feel a stinging sensation in his nostrils.

Iron met fists with a shock that reverberated through the hollow pipe. She was skilled as a fighter, using her greater reach to keep the Tiger at bay. She wasn’t going aggressive, instead waiting until he could no longer hold his breath as her time to strike.

For Takii’s part, his transformation was becoming more and more of a hinderance than an asset. Gone was the explosive power this form granted him, and instead came all the pain suffered throughout this long urban hunt, only made worse by the strain the form put on his body.

He jumped back after another punch had been blocked and found his foot had no ground to stand on.

The wind whipped at his back, the encroaching presence of the gasmask hunter grew ever nearer. He finally couldn’t hold it any longer and gasped for breath, only to find his lungs filled with a gas that felt his throat feel like fire, dried his eyes and brought him into a deeper level of ell.

“Looks like I’ll be the one to fell the great Tiger.” She boasted. Those were the only words she spared before raising the pipe with the intention to crack his head in two. He couldn’t even rely on Hardened Fang, not in this state. His only recourse was that horrendous power…

His face shot up. His left eye glowed and emitted what was a palpable malice. The Evil Eye awakened. Yet this time, something felt different.

A blast of the eye’s power shot forth towards everything in its sight, including the Gasmask Hunter. She was blown back along with the gas, and the roof of the train. Even with such destructive power on display, Takii felt…good. He could feel the harsh grip on his heart subside, and it resumed a steady beat. His right side no longer felt odd and weightier than his left, but now balanced as if he hadn’t transformed at all.

The aftermath of the usage of the Eye was a staggering Hunter, part of her mask erased with the blast, yet the rest of her intact. It must act as a sort of spiritual defense, he thought. He could see the red iris underneath the mask, she clearly hadn’t expected him to use his eye, much less control it.

But her surprise wouldn’t last for long, as she lifted the pipe back up and lunged. This time he was ready for her. He grabbed the pipe just as it was swung overhead, pulled it and her in and delivered a headbutt. As she stumbled back with clenched teeth and fiery eyes of rage. He closed the distance again and struck her abdomen with his palm. The strength was enough to send her flying back with ease, which proved his transformation hadn’t subsided.

The Hunter caught herself quickly, and as she rose back up she discarded the pipe in favor of hand to hand.

**“Go to Hell, fucking monster**!” Her battle cry roared through the train as the two collided once again, blurs of white and grey.

\--

The grey hooded Hunter found herself regaining consciousness in grass fields beside train tracks that stretched far off into the countryside. She along with her brethren had failed to subdue the beast. She cursed loudly at herself and pounded the ground with what strength she had.

It was up to the Heir Apparent to catch the Tiger.

The train gradually came to a halt at a lonely little platform in the rural countryside of Japan. This was the last stop, and just a short walk away from the northern coast of Japan.

Takii, the sole passenger of the train, got off.

“You’ve gotten stronger, Takii.” Came a hard, older voice.

Takii’s head snapped up from where he’d been watching his step. Even in his utter exhaustion there was no mistaking the voice of that man.

His father, Osamu Migakaze, stood before him.


	5. Transcendence

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

His father’s acknowledgement was strange. As he descended from the train he would try and catch his breath. He had yet to even realize the golden aura manifested around him.

“Wha…t?”

“You learned to manage that transformation…Shunkan Nirvana, was it?” Osamu continued politely.

His words fit with the lack of heart pain, or any pain for that matter. The half of his body that would transform to resemble a tiger was now plain human. Over his skin, a thin yet bright outline of his golden aura.

“…Somehow, yeah.” He murmured.

“It was your eye.” Osamu explained,

“That power you gained is the key to your gaining balance.”

Now Takii was sure his father wasn’t making sense.

“My Evil Eye couldn’t have done that. It’s nothing but trouble.”

“Only because you can’t control it. What happened was just a consequence of taking more than what you could handle.”

As usual, his father was straight to the point. Remembering the life he took as a result of his carelessness reflected clearly on Takii’s face, a long frown and creased brows drew harsh lines on his face.

“…Are you still suffering?”

“I can’t come to terms with killing an innocent person.” An undercurrent of pent-up anger towards his father rose up in his voice.

Osamu’s stoic demeanor had always frustrated Takii. To him, he was an apathetic parent, concerned only with seeing Takii grow into his role as head of the Tiger family. To his father, Takii was surely meant to be used as a sacrifice to assure the safety of human lives. Hence the scars on his body, the first of them having been obtained from the extensive training he suffered beneath his father. There would always be that resentment towards him, the lack of communication made it so Takii would never wish to hear Osamu’s justification.

“I don’t ask you to change your code. Trying to keep everyone alive is a noble thing, but to break down over one death will only assure even more people die due to your wallowing.”

Sharp words stabbed into Takii like a knife. They hurt because he couldn’t refute them.

So, he said nothing.

\--

Takii hadn’t thought about it, how to reach the island known as the Youkai Hunter’s base. Luckily, his father had. The key for Hunters to pass through the warped space that enveloped the island and kept it secret from the rest of the world was the mask of a high-ranking member. The Hunter who’d told Takii of the island’s existence had sent his mask with Osamu. Simply holding the mask allowed the father and son to pass through an invisible wall on a cliffside, through the ocean and directly onto the island.

When they arrived, they would be greeted by a large field, a strangely out of season weather, and the feeling that they were inhabiting a place that was completely otherworldly.

“Beasts, Father and Son, I welcome you.” The soft tune played by the piano here in the field was a nostalgic little melody. Her long, slim fingers touched the keys with graceful precision even as she spoke to them.

The image of this girl, playing an effortless concert for only herself here in this great vast field in the center of an island…made Takii think she believed herself an exalted genius.

“Pretty elaborate of you to lug that big piano out here just to play a little music for us, don’t you think?”

“Not quite, Takii.” Osamu interjected.

“Your father’s right, Migakaze the younger. Think about it a little more, won’t you?”

Takii’s brows furrowed in displeasure. To think he’d be treated the ignorant one by both his father and the villain…

“…You’re showing off that you can lift Pianos easily?” He blurted in a haste to make the unpleasant feeling of stupidity go away.

In response, a trickling laughter came in response from the girl.

“Partial credit. Yes, I suppose this is a way of intimidating the both of you. Alas, my family does not possess the famous Migakaze strength to help lug around objects. Rather, our ‘gift’ is something far more convenient.”

“The Tools, given to the founder by a divine being.” Osamu concluded.

“Correct. It’s no surprise that the elder Migakaze would be so knowledgeable. I’m disappointed in the younger one, however. Or did you know as well?”

…This was seriously a demoralizing way to prelude a fight.

“Aa, I know at least that much. Back when humans were just starting out, your founder received a power from a god in the form of those Tools. The almighty right of that god crystalized forever in that object that could only be wielded by him and his descendants.”

“Very good. It is the Tools which had been given to us that made everything possible. Without that power, my ancestor would have surely died to the youkai that slaughtered our kind like it was nothing. Those Tools became the basis of our organization’s technology, and the person who leads the Hunters must be one capable of holding that supreme power granted to us by that god.”

“The heirs of the original Hunter.” Takii concluded.

“Yes. Me and my siblings are the ones to be next in line. A system akin to that of a monarchy. Antiquated, just like the very cause we deem to fight for. Humans no longer have to fear youkai, no more people will find themselves attacked by these monsters wherever they may appear. Thus, with the power of the mirror, I declare an end to the mystery of this world and the dawn of a true age of Humanity.”

With that she concluded her song, the piano keys being struck one final time and held for a few seconds to give an even grander air to her declaration.

“To exterminate all youkai…that’s genocide.” Takii replied, finding a rising impatience within him.

“Youkai do not exist like other species. Their origins aren’t aligned with that of other animals that came to be from the birth of the universe, they are nothing more than a reflection of humanity’s greatest vices. Since humans first began to think, they have been plagued by these creatures. Guilt, hatred, despair, wouldn’t it be wonderful to eliminate those emotions along with their representatives?”

Her words gave Takii pause. From the beginning, she had not considered youkai as living beings. He should have expected as much, yet even then he might have been taken aback by her callus dismissal of any empathy for youkai.

“They might have had an origin as embodiments of human emotions, but they’ve grown since then, just like humans. They have lives, feelings, families. You would take all of that away without truly knowing if humans could ascend beyond all those negative emotions you speak of.”

“If it’s that half-youkai girl you’re worried about, I could allow her to live in exchange for the mirror.” She continued, his words falling on deaf ears.

“You can’t bargain with me. Not after all you and your allies have put me through. I came here to fight for that mirror and put an end to this trip.” Osamu, as quiet as he kept, seemed to silently agree with his son.

He shoulders lifted and drooped in a sigh, surrendering to the fact that she could not convince the Tigers.

“Here I hoped that we might escape the bloodshed in favor of diplomacy. Oh well, if we’re to fight then so be it.”

She lifted from her piano seat, with it disappearing as soon as she stood up straight. The piano vanished into the ether as well.

“I, Tenda Namikage, will be the one to end both the youkai and the Migakaze.”

She outstretched a palm, faced towards the sky. She suddenly held a golden-white _____

“What…is that?” Takii’s eyes squinted at the object held in Tenda’s hand, yet couldn’t seem to focus on it no matter how hard he tried. His head ached with a lack of ability to process the thing in front of him.

“The Hunter’s Original Tool. A god’s crystalized power, one who dominated through the power granted by the faith a people gave them. People who knew nothing of science or the world and could only rely on the gods for protection.” Osamu replied. He was being strangely talkative, Takii thought. No, why wasn’t he taking action instead? Why wasn’t _Takii_ moving?

He looked to his own feet, and saw they trembled. His whole body shook from the core outwards as he watched the girl become bathed in the Tool’s light, deifying herself with that almighty power. This was instinctual fear, deep down he knew this opponent was unlike any other he’d seen, so hopelessly out of his league.

A will greater than Shinsuke.

A power older than even Balor’s

A divine right, a ruler of humanity.

_The answer lies here…_ Takii thought.

\--When suddenly, he felt a strange shift in the air. His hairs stood on end, and an inpercievable force began to manifest, just where his neck was.

His movement was immediate, instincts kicking in and dropping him to the ground before whatever that was could reach him. He looked up and saw as the space where he’d been just milliseconds before now warped itself.   


Takii knew one thing for certain. Had that reached him, his neck would have surely been severed.

“Takii, are you alright?” His father called out. He hadn’t moved at all, so he could assume Osamu hadn’t been targeted by that attack.

“Yeah…” He rubbed his neck, getting back to his feet cautiously as he looked at Tendo, now cloaked in a golden-white veil and suspended perfectly a foot above the ground. Her hand was outstretched, fingers extended and wrist turned as if she was turning an invisible knob.

Takii could deduce it easily, that movement must have been how she attacked. _What_ exactly she did was still an enigma.

“Manipulation of space.” Osamu said, as if reading his son’s mind.

“The Hunter’s Tools give their user that gods power, a weapon suitable for a deity. That is, the power to alter the world itself. To move objects from one place to another, or ‘cut’ through space itself.”

“A blade greater than any other. Here I was hoping to catch you off guard and end this business quickly…” Tendo spoke in a voice that reverberated in the empty grass field.

“No matter, this won’t change the outcome. The moment you stepped on this island, it was my victory.” She spoke in triumph, once more extending her hand and slowly turning her wrist.

That was the signal that it was coming, but from where? Takii felt a strange fluctuation in the air around his right arm, and quickly jumped to the opposite side. He could see it now, as a tall blade of grass was split cleanly in half by what he believed to be her power over space. From this, he could judge the space distorted was like a flat disc, almost thin enough to be considered two-dimensional. A blade sharper than any other, one that could erase, sever, or transfer.

It was truly a weapon appropriate for a god. One which shed the least amount of blood and cast judgement with power no mortal could protect themselves against, only try and outrun the inevitable death cast down upon them from the heavens.

\---No, even a power of that magnitude was flawed. For one, she telegraphed the attack with the movements of her hand, and even then it was not immediate. So long as he kept his senses alert, Takii was sure to be able to win. What’s more, he wasn’t alone.

His father had yet to move, which meant she could only target one of them at a time.

Takii looked to Osamu. The two exchanged a glance, momentary, yet communicating enough for the two to proceed with the fight.

_Work with me._

_You do not have to ask._

Was it innate instinct? All that time in the mountains spent training? Or was it just a family bond? Whatever it was, it allowed them to move in synch. Both had reached the same conclusion independent of the other: If they split up, she couldn’t hit them both.

Takii flanked her right, Osamu went for her left. She turned her hand out to Takii once more, keen on eliminating the younger Migakaze first. The space began to shift directly ahead of him, Tenda attempting to judge his trajectory to make him run into her attack. Unfortunately for her, Takii was more agile than that. A leap into the air brought him clear enough of the invisible line which she had cut through space, or so he had judged.

It was strange then, when he felt a prickling in his skin. Directly ahead of him, she had managed to warp space again! But he hadn’t even moved her hand in his direction!

“Takii!” Osamu’s silver aura flared forward like a raging flame, he kicked off the ground and leaped straight for his free-falling son, snatching him out of the sky and out of danger.

The pair rolled onto the grass, even farther from Tenda than before.

“That’s what you get for underestimating me.” Her voice was clear even at this distance.

“She…she was toying with us. She didn’t even have to lift a finger to use her power…”

Takii gasped for air, he felt the cold sweat flow down his face that had come from narrowly escaping death.

“She was gauging our strength, holding back just like we were.”

Takii looked to his father. Osamu’s aura had manifested as a silver outline, concentrated on his form, much like Takii’s had.

“It runs in the family, huh…” Takii spoke nonchalantly. Osamu gave a nod, helping Takii rise to his feet.

_I ended up getting saved by my old man…_

Takii rose up his hands, bringing them together and unleashing the new, perfected Shunkan Nirvana in tandem with his Evil Eye.

_I won’t let it happen again. I won’t be a burden._

Silver and Gold auras of Father and Son now manifested physically around them, respectively. Takii had just recently attained this completed technique, he didn’t even know how long he could maintain it yet.

His aura flared, hoping it might help him sense the attack.

Tenda looked on, waiting for them to make another move. With the pair at the ready, they charged forward once again.

Their speed was several times greater than before, bursts of light which split as they approached the heir bathed in divine glow. She was prepared for them now, not allowing herself the luxury of holding back for the sake of surprise.

Space distorted all around them like artillery fired on them. The threat of erasure became more dangerous as they got closer, as Takii began to guess her attack had a time lag the farther she manifested it. Ordinarily it would be imperceptible, no more than a fraction of a second in delay, but at these speeds it made the difference between victory and erasure.

The pair were close enough that one leap forward could get them in range, yet now found themselves weaving through the barrage of space being distorted between them. Her senses were just as acute as theirs, letting her handle both of them simultaneously as the insessent fluctuation of space around her made it impossible for them to get through.

They lasted only a second, but came with such frequency that they tended to overlap with one another, causing a near perfect defense around her. Tenda struggled, but not nearly on the same level as the pair. As Takii narrowly avoided death time and again, the sweat which danced off him was ‘cut’ by the distortion of the air. Takii once again looked to his father through the hazy air which fluctuated and turned in front of him.

Both father and son knew they had no chance to win unless they could move perfectly in synch. There would be no space for error, not a single flaw. When even the narrowest opening presented itself, they would have to take it. Takii didn’t believe himself ready for this, at least under normal circumstances, his resentment towards his father would cloud his judgement. Yet…here in this fight for their lives, he felt he could trust Osamu completely.

_It’s amazing, all my problems melt away in the heat of battle._

There it was, the gap they had been looking for. A slight hiccup on Takii’s side rendered a spot in the air open just enough for Takii to contort himself through it. Once past, Tenda wouldn’t be able to use her power less she accidentally harm herself. She would be completely cornered. Just as Takii leapt, Osamu followed. The pair made their way towards Tenda, ready to strike her down with one decisive blow. Their synchronization was perfect, a harmonious link unlike any they had shared before.

Tenda looked on at her impending failure. She could avoid one, but the other would be sure to take her down. She needed to be calm and rationalize, which one was farther, which could she strike before they got to close and which could she evade? With the power of the Tool, she could see all around her perfectly. Eyes were for mortals, and the gods carried with them a sort of clairvoyance to perceive things even from a great distance.

There, it was Osamu. It was so minor that not even they could notice it, but he was just a hair’s breadth farther to her than Takii was. That narrow gap was just enough. She would still harm herself, but it would do far worse to Osamu.

The air rippled and warped. Osamu could finally see it, an impossibly thin line tracing a circle through the air, passing through his abdomen and back into the open air. It crossed through Tenda too, but nowhere near as deep as it had gone through him. Takii could see it too, watching in utter disbelief as his father, without even the time to express the pain he felt, was nearly split in half. Takii’s fist missed Tenda, and she drew back with a narrow escape as she prepared to finish Takii off.

_Aaa…_

The young Tiger’s mind cracked. His father, the man he resented, he had strived to become stronger than, the one he had yet to tell all the things that kept weighing on his heart, was dying. He would be joining him soon.

All because of a slight faltering. Of course, they were family, but they never truly forged a bond of faith. Instinct and training could only take them so far.

His eyes began to ache as he fell back down to the grass. Blurried vision, a throbbing pain in his forehead, all came to him in these scant seconds that seemed to last an eternity.

He landed on the grass with tears flowing uncontrollably. For the pain so deep that no other he faced could compare. Not any of the wounds which had given him those scars could compare. He felt the hairs on his head stand, the impending ‘cut’ through space like a guillotine ready to sever his head. His mind was fuzzy, but even so there was a voice in his head...no, one that came from his father, Osamu Migakaze.

“Fight…son.”

Takii’s vision went black.

“What?” Tenda’s voice reverberated. Right before her eyes, Takii had vanished. Behind her, the golden youth reappeared. She needn’t even look with her stunned eyes to manipulate the space around him, but now he was gone again. He moved at improbable speeds, beyond even of those from before. All around her, trying to get an opening.

Tenda could only continuously strike at where he had just been, an irritating turn after she had thought to have just barely grasp victory.

“Why won’t you die?!” She finally yelled, breaking her composure along with her divine guise, trying now to follow him with her eyes to no avail. It was this break in her calm that brought her downfall.

In her stomach, the arm of Takii Migakaze had punched through. Though instead of feeling pain, it gave her a sensation as if her very soul was being grasped, ready to be wrenched out.

“God Breaker.” He uttered.

It was a technique he had used back in his youth, to seal away a person’s aura by striking their very spirit and draining them of energy. The opposite of what he’d done with the mirror shard, instead of combining one spiritual object with a body, he was now ripping out the Tool from her very being.

“Ugh…!” The golden-white ____ was severed from Tenda slowly. Her expression carried pain and resistance, but she couldn’t even understand how this could be happening. The glow left her body, and she fell to the grass completely drained of her powers, as well as any energy she could use to continue the fight.

This was the power of the Tiger. Even as tears streamed down his face, Takii had gained enough composure to face her. Or perhaps it was that very loss that had brought her downfall. She stared coldly at the ground as the reality of defeat pounded at her still incredulous mind.

\--

Takii ran to his Father’s side. He kneeled beside the body, almost cut in two from the chest down. He grasped Osamu’s hand, larger than Takii’s own and yet so similar in its rough, callused texture. He had trained his body, just like him. He had endured pain to protect his family, just like him. He believed in humanity’s ability to grow, just like him.

But that hand was not like Takii’s. It was cold, and his Father’s stern eyes with the creases beneath them had lost their light. Just like that, he was gone.

_It’s painful._

Such a simple thought prevailed in his head. He couldn’t think of anything more, the wound was too great.

While fruitlessly holding back tears and biting his lower lip, Takii shut his father’s eyelids and mourned.


End file.
